Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bread and Flour: Regulation

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their response to their September 2022 consultation on amending the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998.

Lord Benyon: The full summary of responses and Government response are in the final stages of the Government clearance process, and we expect to publish in January. Officials have been carefully analysing the 369 responses received, while also discussing with the devolved administrations the best approach to consistent and effective policy implementation across the UK. We have continued engagement with industry and further assessment to ensure that any changes to the regulations successfully deliver improved public health, protect consumers, minimise impacts to industry and assist enforcement authorities.

Forests: Commodities

Lord Inglewood: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation along the lines of the proposed Forest Risk Commodity regulations in respect of foodstuffs produced outside the UK in a manner which is forbidden to UK producers of the same commodity.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. All agri-food products must comply with the UK’s import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. For example, hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken are banned in the UK and the Prime Minister has been clear that these will not be allowed to enter the UK market. This includes products from longstanding trading partners alongside products traded under the terms of new Free Trade Agreements.  The Forest Risk Commodities Scheme will be introduced through provisions in Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021. This new due diligence legislation requires regulated organisations to establish and implement a due diligence system for any regulated commodity, and any products derived from them, that they use in their commercial activities. The scheme will cover foodstuffs, including cattle products (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy.

Horticulture: Peat

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans (1) to bring forward their proposed ban on the sale of all peat-containing products, or (2) revise the list of items exempted from the ban until 2030.

Lord Benyon: In August 2022 we announced that we would ban the sale of peat for use in amateur gardening; we remain committed to this and plan to legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows. It remains our policy that we intend to legislate to restrict, and ultimately ban, the sale of peat and peat containing products. Our proposals, announced in March this year, include technical exemptions up to 2030. We are continuing to hold discussions with the horticulture sector on possible technical exemptions for the continued use of peat in the professional sector up to 2030, and for conservation purposes thereafter.

Flood Control

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prepare for potential flooding in homes and business across the UK.

Lord Benyon: The Government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over 6 years in around 2,000 flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. This has already resulted in more than 35,000 properties being better protected since April 2021. This investment will also avoid wider economic damages, better protect transport infrastructure, and create or improve natural habitats. The Environment Agency (EA) launched its annual Flood Action Campaign on 20 November 2023 to encourage people to prepare for flooding. This promotes the steps that people can take to protect themselves, their family and homes. In July 2022, the Government announced a £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance to support communities that have experienced repeated flooding. The Environment Agency is prepared to act wherever and whenever it is needed this winter and has 5,000 trained staff across the country ready to respond to flooding.

Water: Sewage

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions were made for illegal sewage dumping in each of the water authority areas in England in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Lord Benyon: The Government is holding water companies to account on a scale never seen before and the regulators will not hesitate to hold companies to take appropriate action if they are in breach of their permits and failing to meet their legal obligations. The EA can now use new powers to impose unlimited penalties for a wider range of offenses following Government’s changes to broaden of the scope of the existing civil sanctions regime and remove the previous cap on penalties. The EA has made 59 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies for pollution offences since 2015, securing fines of over £150m. Four prosecutions have been concluded so far in 2023 for pollution offences:Anglian Water fined £510,000 on 12 January 2023 and £2,650,000 on 27 April 2023South West Water fined £2,150,000 (for 7 offences) on 26 April 2023Thames Water fined £3,334,000 on 04 July 2023) More prosecutions are progressing through the court system with hearing dates next year.

National Landscapes: Planning Permission

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, whenconsidering whether an area should be designated or retained as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, they take into account whether they wish more housing to be built there, or whether it is designated purely on environmental, nature and beauty considerations.

Lord Benyon: To designate an Area of Natural Beauty, Natural England must issue an order under section 82 of the CROW Act for the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of that area. The area must meet a set of natural beauty criterion. Based upon the legislation, the designation process includes technical assessment against designation criteria and assessment of the desirability of designating the area. The desirability tests recognise that a designation may have an impact beyond the immediate statutory purpose. As such, consideration is also given to government policy which will influence how AONBs operate in relation to wider policy areas, such as housing, the economy and planning.

Climate Change Convention: Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will include experts on migratory species from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee among the UK delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28 UAE).

Lord Benyon: Joint Nature Conservation Committee staff, including experts on migratory species, are not part of the UK Government delegation to United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28. Joint Nature Conservation Committee staff will remotely provide scientific advice in advance and in real time as requested by the delegation and support side events online in the US Pavilion and the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Joint Nature Conservation Committee staff have also provided pre-recorded videos to the UK Overseas Territories Association to support their side event in the UK Pavilion.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Myanmar: Armed Forces

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since Octoberto bring the Myanmar military junta before the International Criminal Court.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is clear that there must be accountability for the atrocities committed in Myanmar. To support the preservation of evidence for future prosecution, we have provided over £600,000 to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and established the Myanmar Witness project. We condemn the ongoing serious human rights violations by the Myanmar Armed Forces, as well as previous atrocities against the Rohingya. These actions require further scrutiny and the UK is supportive, in principle, of any attempts to bring these issues before the International Criminal Court. We support the ICC Prosecutor's initiative to investigate acts committed against the Rohingya.

Russia: Freezing of Assets

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to permit the seizure of Russian state assets, and the repurposing of those assets to rectify war damage in Ukraine and to assist in Ukraine’s self-defence.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Russia should pay for its aggression in Ukraine. We are working with partners to identify all possible options for seizing Russian linked assets in the UK that could be used to pay for reconstruction. We are pursuing this at pace and must ensure that measures are compliant with international law. We have reinforced our approach by introducing new legislation to enable sanctions to remain in place until Russia pays for damage it has caused. Our international partners have frozen a significant volume of assets but, like the UK, are yet to fully test the lawfulness of a new asset seizure regime.

Religious Freedom

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United States Commission onInternational Religious Freedom’s report on National Level Anti-Conversion Laws Around the World, published on 28 November.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Promoting the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a top priority for the UK.The UK welcomes the recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. We note its findings documenting anti-conversion laws, as we monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally.We have made our position clear: no one should be forced to denounce their beliefs or be discriminated against because of their religion or belief. In 2022, we sanctioned Mian Abdul Haq, a cleric responsible for the forced conversions of girls and women in Pakistan. The UK continue to work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, and hold those accountable for human rights violations and abuses.

Myanmar: Sanctions

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey will impose further targeted sanctions against (1) individuals in the Myanmar military, and (2) military-owned enterprises.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and 29 entities under the Myanmar Sanctions Regime. The UK is considering a range of further sanctions targets and other measures to hold the military regime to account. It is vital that any sanctions imposed have the desired effect of denying the regime credibility and reducing their access to finance, arms and equipment without harming the wider Myanmar population. It would not be appropriate to speculate about specific future sanctions designations.

Guyana: Venezuela

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thecurrent threat posed by Venezuela to Guyana; and what practical support they (1) have provided, or (2) intend to provide, to Guyana.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. We continue to work with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.Minister Rutley visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for its territorial integrity.

Ukraine: Reconstruction

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ask the World Bank to update their March 2023 Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment of the cost of rectifying war damage in Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The World Bank is in the process of updating their March 2023 Rapid Damage Needs Assessment (RDNA). We expect the latest assessment to be ready ahead of the 2024 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin. Based on the 2023 RDNA, the World Bank calculates total recovery and reconstruction needs at $411 billion. The UK is committed to helping Ukraine rebuild to emerge from the war with a modern economy resilient to Russian threats.

Myanmar: Development Aid

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey will seek to expand partnerships with ethnic community-based organisations in Myanmar to ensure the provision of cross-border aid.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since the February 2021 coup, the UK has provided over £120 million in humanitarian and development assistance in Myanmar, focussed on life-saving assistance, emergency healthcare, water, hygiene and sanitation services, and education. We provided a further £2 million in response to Cyclone Mocha in May. We are increasingly supporting local civil society networks with access to vulnerable communities, including in ethnic community areas, as the first responders to the crisis. This has ensured UK aid continues to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in the most remote and hard to reach places.

Hamas: Israel

Baroness Thornton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Permanent Representative of the UK to the UN attended the ‘Hear Our Voices: Sexual and gender-based violence in the October 7th Hamas terror attack’ event on 4 December at the UN headquarters; and if not, why.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Three representatives of the UK Permanent Representation to the United Nations attended this event. The UK unequivocally condemns the reports of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas against Israeli women and girls and other civilians; conflict-related sexual violence is an abuse of human rights and when perpetrated in the context of an armed conflict, can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law such as a war crime. We are regularly engaging with partners, including the UN, on this issue and call for these reports to be fully investigated to ensure justice for victims. The UK is committed to strengthening the global response to conflict-related sexual violence. Our Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) strategy, launched in 2022, sets out the work I am leading globally as the PMs Special Representative for PSVI, to prevent Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and strengthen justice and support for all survivors.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the role ofthe Intergovernmental Authority on Developmentas a broker in the recently attempted Sudan peace talks in Djibouti.

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the position of the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states in relation to the recently attempted Sudan peace talks in Djibouti.

Lord Benyon: The UK supports African-led efforts to seek peace and stability within Sudan, including the mediation efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). We welcome the IGAD Summit on 9 December where members called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan. The UK continues to work with Quad countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, US, UK), regional partners, IGAD, the African Union and the UN to bring the warring parties together and secure an end to hostilities, unfettered humanitarian access and ensure the protection of civilians.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of (1) the consequences for civilians of the fall of Darfur to the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and (2) reports of related atrocity crimes.

Lord Benyon: The UK condemns in the strongest terms reported atrocities being committed across Sudan, particularly in Darfur. Reports of ongoing attacks on innocent civilians by militias, particularly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing. These acts must stop immediately. Over 2,221,579 people are now internally displaced across the five Darfur states, and the lack of humanitarian access continues to make it very difficult for humanitarian organisations to get an accurate picture of needs on the ground and provide the necessary level of assistance. We are also aware of reports of attacks on Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, widespread looting of humanitarian assets, health services out of service and communication blackouts. The UK continues to pursue all diplomatic avenues to press the warring parties into a permanent ceasefire, to allow unfettered humanitarian access, to protect civilians, and to commit to a sustained and meaningful peace process.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UNICEF report Child Poverty in the Midst of Wealth, published on 6 December, and its conclusion that of the 39 OECD and EU countries featured in the report, the UK has seen the largest increase in child poverty since 2014.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The most recent available data, covering 2021/22 shows that relative poverty rates for children remain unchanged since 2009/10. On an absolute basis, which better represents changes to actual living standards, the rate after housing costs has fallen by 5 percentage points across the same period. There were 400,000 fewer children in absolute poverty after housing costs in 2021/22 compared to 2009/10. The most recent available OECD data shows that the United Kingdom has a relative poverty rate for 0–17-year-olds comparable to large European countries such as France and Germany and below Australia, the United States and Italy. The Government is committed to reducing poverty, including child poverty, and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and children. Our approach to tackling poverty is based on clear evidence that parental employment, particularly where its full time, reduces the risk of poverty. In the financial year 2021 to 2022, children living in households where all adults work were around 5 times less likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those living in workless households.

Household Support Fund

Lord Polak: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Autumn Statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22 November (HC Deb cols 325–357), what plans they have to extend the Household Support Fund.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government has provided over £2 billion in funding for the Household Support Fund since October 2021.The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the Government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.

Access to Work Programme: Finance

Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the budget for the Access to Work scheme has been underspent, and if so, by how much, in each of the past five years.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Access to Work grant expenditure has been underspent against budget in three of the past five years. £m18/1919/2020/2121/2222/23Budget (mid-year adjusted)117.1145.3108.6151.9178.3Full year outturn124.5146.8104.5146.5177.3(Over) / Underspend(7.4)(1.4)4.15.51.0 Other than years impacted by the Pandemic, the grant expenditure has increased year on year.

Home Office

Home Office: Amazon Web Services

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, security vetting is required for Amazon Web Service staff to handle Home Office data under the contract for the supply of cloud computing services agreed between the two on 30 November.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The supplier shall be required to comply with data protection legislation, together with specific confidentiality, data protection and data security obligations to protect Home Office data when required, including physical and logical security restrictions applicable to the supplier’s personnel from accessing and processing the Home Office’s data, in accordance with the AWS Security Standards.This may include vetting to recognised standards when the specific work requires such clearance. The Home Office use “keys” which ensure its data is fully encrypted at rest and in-transit, such that AWS have no access.

Drugs: Misuse

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 14 December (HL767), on whatbasis theAdvisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs report Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, sent to the Home Secretary in December 2016, was shared "in confidence"; and who took the decision to waive any such confidentiality in relation to the part of the report that has been made public.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 14 December (HL767), what steps they have taken to ensure that parliamentarians are properly informed about the issues raised in theAdvisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs reportInteraction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016,sent to the Home Secretary in December 2016.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 14 December (HL767),what is the status of the reviewof the Working Protocol between theAdvisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs and the Home Office; when the review will be completed; and whether it will be published.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As set out by the response to Written Answer HL767, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) marked the document titled “Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016” “in confidence”. The document was not intended for publication and there are no plans to publish it. The portion that has been made public was made public under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“FOIA 2000”) and following the decision of the relevant tribunal (case reference EA/2021/0301). The portion released under the FOIA 2000 recommended a review of the Working Protocol between the ACMD and the Home Office to take into account the functions of the ACMD under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”). The Working Protocol has not been revised since 2011 and is available at the following link: Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The Government intends to undertake a review in due course and if this results in a revised Working Protocol, the revised version will be published on gov.uk.

Asylum: Children

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made a decision about whether the power under the Illegal Migration Act 2023 for the Home Office to accommodate children will come into force; and if so, when.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Illegal Migration Act received Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act seeks to ensure the only way to come to the UK for protection will be through safe and legal routes and will take power out of the hands of the criminal gangs and protect vulnerable people, including children.Following the High Court ECPAT judgment and Supreme Court judgment on Rwanda, the Government is carefully reflecting on commencement of the powers in the Act, including those relating to the accommodation and transfer of unaccompanied children.These powers have not yet been commenced and a decision will be made in due course. The Act does not change a local authority’s statutory obligations to children from the date of arrival and that the best place for an unaccompanied child is in the care of a local authority. This is something the Government was consistently clear about during the Illegal Migration Act’s passage through Parliament.We are working at pace with Kent County Council, other government departments and local authorities across the UK to ensure suitable local authority placements are provided for unaccompanied asylum seeking children urgently and sustainably.

Asylum: Rwanda

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government how Rwanda compares in population density with (1) China, (2) Russia, (3) the USA, (4) Australia, (5) Libya, (6) France, (7) Spain, (8) Germany, (9) the UK, and (10) Greece; and how relevant they regard that measure in their policy for transporting migrants from the UK to Rwanda.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The table below shows the estimated population density (the number of people per square kilometre) of the countries listed based on UN statistics published in October 20231. The countries are ordered as in the question plus Rwanda at 11: CountryPopulation density 1China2148.52Russia8.83United States of America37.04Australia3.45Libya4.16France117.27Spain94.78Germany239.29United Kingdom278.110Greece79.411Rwanda569.11 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘Statistical Yearbook 2023, Sixty-sixth issue’ (pages 15 to 35), October 20232 For statistical purposes, the UN data for China do not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Population was one of a range of factors that was considered when entering into the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda.

Visas: Ministers of Religion

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Statement by the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on legal migration on 4 December (HC Deb cols 41–43), whether raising the minimum income for family visas to £38,700 will apply to ministers of religion with qualifying family dependants, including spouses and fiancées, who are foreign nationals residing overseas.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Those sponsoring applicants on the partner and child family route are required to meet the Minimum Income Requirement. At present there are no exceptions for specific jobs or professions.

Immigration

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the amount by which migration will be reduced as a result of their decision to increase the income threshold for legal migrants to the UK.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Analytical work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process, and an Impact Assessment will be developed in due course.

Migrant Workers: Visas

Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the new immigration salary thresholds announced by the Home Secretary on 4 December will apply to language assistants in schools and universities.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Once the Immigration Rules have been laid in Spring 2024, only those occupations on the Health and Care Visa and on education national payscales will be exempt. Until then, the current salary thresholds remain in place at the current levels. Those already in the Skilled work route, and applications made before the rules change, will not be subject to the new £38,700 salary threshold when they change employment, extend, or settle. Full details of transitional provisions will be set out when further policy details will be announced.

Visas: Ukraine

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to allow Ukrainian refugees who are on three-year visas to extend those visas.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: In line with the situation in Ukraine, working closely with the Ukrainian Government, as well as our international counterparts, we keep the need for a possible extension of UK sanctuary, beyond March 2025, under consistent review. We are also mindful that permission will start to expire, for the first arrivals under our Ukrainian schemes, from March 2025, and their need for certainty beyond that point to help them to plan ahead, for example if remaining in the UK, entering into rental agreements and living here independently. The UK Government stands with Ukraine and firmly believes that Ukraine will be safe again. When it’s safe to do so, Ukraine will need the repatriation of its citizens to help recover and rebuild their economy and infrastructure.  Our approach therefore has been to provide 36 months sanctuary under our Ukraine visas which are temporary and do not lead to settlement.

Visas: British National (Overseas)

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how long it takes on average to process a British National (Overseas) visa application and what is the longest outstanding application awaiting assessment.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what considerationthey have given to the position of British National (Overseas) visa applicants who remain in Hong Kong while their application is considered.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessmentthey have made of the number of asylum seekers from Hong Kong who have switched to British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) visa routes,and the way in which such applications have been handled, since they decided to allow adult children ofBN(O) status holders to apply independently of their parent.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Those who apply to the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route from overseas should not travel to the UK until they have received a decision on their application. Most individuals who hold a BN(O) or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport will be able to apply to the BN(O) route without needing to attend a visa application centre by using the UK Chip Checker smartphone application.In most cases, a person with a pending asylum claim can make an application to the BN(O) route, but all applications will need to meet the relevant requirements to be granted, including the suitability requirements. The Home Office is aware of the issues some individuals have faced when switching into the BN(O) route since it was amended to allow adult children of BN(O) status holders who were born after the handover of Hong Kong to apply independently of their parent, and we are looking into these cases.Recent published data shows that in Quarter 2 of 2023, 98.58% of leave to enter cases and 98.35% of leave to remain cases classed as straightforward were decided within the service standard of 12 weeks.This can be found at the following link: Visas and citizenship data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The Home Office does not currently hold any publishable data on the longest outstanding case.

Immigration

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Home Secretary on 4 December (HC Deb cols 41–43), what are the specific components of the 300,000 per annum reduction in migration figure he provided, and whether this number refers to the future inflow of student migration or to the net inflow of migrants overall.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Analytical work has been undertaken across Government to support decision making in this process, and an Impact Assessment will be developed in due course.

Shoplifting

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the rise in shoplifting; and what steps they will take to reduce these offences.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government recognises the significant impact shoplifting has on businesses, communities and consumers. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows neighbourhood crime is down 51% compared to findings from the year ending March 2010.However, Police Recorded Crime figures show shoplifting offences increased by 25% in the 12 months to June 2023. Statistics also show the number of people charged with shoplifting offences has risen by 29% in the year ending June 2023.We have recently made significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime, including shoplifting.In October, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces in England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals.This builds on the NPCC commitment that police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.October also saw the launch of Pegasus, a unique private-public partnership, which involves retailers providing data, intelligence and evidence to Opal, the national police intelligence unit on organised acquisitive crime, to develop a better strategic picture and help forces crack down on serious offenders.

Human Rights Act 1998

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 to deliver their policy to remove certain migrants to Rwanda.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: We are not repealing the Human Rights Act 1998. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill introduced on 7 December 2023 disapplies the relevant sections of the Human Rights Act 1998 from the key parts of the Bill. This is set out in Clause 3.

Visas: Families

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compliance of the proposed £38,700 incomerequirement for applications to bring dependents to the UK with the Human Rights Act 1998.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The family Immigration Rules contain a provision for exceptional circumstances, including a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, where there would be unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant, their partner, a relevant child, or another family member if their application were to be refused.

Home Office: Amazon Web Services

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the contract between Amazon Web Services and the Home Office, agreed on 30 November, includes the guarantees, references or legally required elements for a processing contract under section 59(5) of the Data Protection Act 2018, or the requirements of the statutory code of practice for police vetting to permit lawful processing of law enforcement personal data; if so, what form they take; and whether law enforcement personal data are excluded from the contract if such safeguard provisions are not required.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The supplier has no access to any of the data hosted in the AWS cloud. Certain Policing services are hosted in this environment which are assured and approved for this use. The extent of the processing of personal data covered in the contract is the provision of storage. The nature of the data stored is entirely under the control of the Home Office and, due to the security controls in place, AWS has no knowledge of what is stored, nor is it provided with instructions on the nature of the processing. By design, the contract does not contain details that would that are not necessary to disclose to AWS for it to be bound by a contract that provides the necessary protections to personal data. The Information Commissioner’s Office is aware of this approach. AWS has no access to any personal data under the controllership of policing or the Home Office.

Crimes of Violence: Transgender People

Baroness Barker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who have acquired Gender Recognition Certificates using section 1(1)(b) of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 have subsequently been arrested, charged or convicted in connection with any act of violent crime, including but not restricted to sexual offences.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests in England and Wales, by offence group including “violence against the person” and “sexual offences”, and by sex, as part of the Police Powers and Procedures statistical bulletin, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The Home Office also collects and publishes data on charged/summonsed in England and Wales, by offence group including “violence against the person” and “sexual offences”, as part of the quarterly crime outcomes statistics, available here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) However, data is not collected in either collection on whether the person holds a Gender Recognition Certificate. The Home Office does not routinely collect data on criminal convictions. Information on criminal convictions, by offence group and sex, is collected and published by the Ministry of Justice in their Criminal justice statistics: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Hillsborough Stadium

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government why it has taken six years for them to respond to the report The patronising disposition of unaccountable power: A report to ensure the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families is not repeated (Session 2017–19, HC 511) on the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: For much of the time since Bishop James Jones’ report on the experiences of the Hillsborough families was published there were ongoing legal proceedings; it was clearly important that the Government did not take any action which might risk prejudicing the outcome of those proceedings. More recently, the Government has been undertaking work to go further to deliver on issues that are important to the families, and to make sure that similar injustices are not repeated. In publishing its response to Bishop James’ report on 6 December, ministers in both Houses apologised to the Hillsborough families on behalf of the Government for the length of time taken to do so.

Community Relations: Kurds

Baroness Blower: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the recent police operation at the Kurdish Community Centre in London on relations with that community.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: It is a fundamental principal of British Policing that the police are operationally independent of the government, and it is for them take decisions on enforcement action.No assessment has been made at this time on community relations following the police operation at the Kurdish Community Centre in London.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government Finance

Lord Laming: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide support to local authorities in financial difficulty.

Baroness Penn: We monitor the financial health of local authorities closely, including through extensive direct engagement with councils. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances, or that faces pressures it has not planned for.The provisional local government finance settlement for 2024-25 makes available up to an additional £3.9 billion to local authorities in England, an increase of 6.5% in cash terms on 2023-24. We have launched a consultation on the provisional settlement, which closes on 15 January 2024.

Right to Buy Scheme

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for allowing local authorities to set their own right-to-buy discounts to reflect local circumstances.

Baroness Penn: The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped over 2 million social housing tenants to become homeowners.The Right to Buy is a statutory right for eligible local authority tenants across England, with the discount formulae set in regulations. This approach already recognizes higher property prices in London with a higher maximum discount for any sales inside London. This ensures a consistent offer for tenants across the country.

Victoria Tower Gardens: Monuments

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements, if any, they have made to transfer control of all or part of Victoria Tower Gardens to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, or another department, to enable the planned construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and whether they intend to attach conditions to such a transfer to safeguard the interests of the Gardens' current users.

Baroness Penn: The Government’s aim, as part of the programme to establish the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, is to enhance Victoria Tower Gardens so that they can continue to be appreciated by everyone living in, working in or visiting the area. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are discussing the arrangements which can best ensure safe and efficient construction while maintaining access to the Gardens. Those arrangements may include transfer of title for part of the gardens, especially in order to provide a suitably long lease for the Memorial and Learning Centre.

Private Rented Housing: Cost of Living

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current rental market; and what steps they are taking tosupport tenants facing financial challenges.

Baroness Penn: The proportion of private rented sector households has remained relatively stable for nearly a decade.We continue to support households with the cost of living, providing support worth £104 billion over 2022-25, or £3,700 per household on average. From April 2024, we are investing £1.2 billion to restore Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. Individuals who need further help to make their rent payments may be eligible for a range of financial support through the welfare system.

Victoria Tower Gardens

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government what options they are considering for the future management of the parts of Victoria Tower Gardens which will not be occupied by the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Baroness Penn: Decisions on the future management arrangements for Victoria Tower Gardens will be agreed in good time before the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre opens.

Department for Transport

Railways: Finance

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Department for Transport considers net revenue implications when making decisions that relate to the capacity of railway services.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department considers a range of factors, including both revenue and cost (i.e. the impact on the taxpayer) when making decisions, including those that relate to the capacity of railway services.

Great Western Railway: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Hitachi about using spare capacity in their Newton Aycliffe plant to improve the ride quality of their trains used by Great Western Railway Trains.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department has been in regular dialogue with Hitachi with regards to the use of its Newton Aycliffe facility. The Department works with the train operator in their monitoring of ride quality.

Castle Line: Standards

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussion they are having with East Midlands Railways about restoring the pre-pandemic levels of service between Nottingham and Lincoln.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department for Transport is working closely with East Midlands Railway to reintroduce services which were removed in June 2021.In May, six weekday services and eight Saturday services between Leicester and Lincoln via Nottingham were reinstated.

Railways: North of England

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the operator to address the shortage of accommodation on railway services between the Thames Valley and the North, including by making some more of the rolling stock currently in store available.

Lord Davies of Gower: Officials meet regularly with train operators. Under the new National Rail Contract that commenced in October, additional carriages are due to be added to the CrossCountry train fleet in the next few years, as they become available in the rolling stock market. It is for operators to determine how best to match capacity to expected passenger demand on individual services making the most efficient use of the train fleet available to them.

Great Western Railway: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to address inadequate accommodation on services between Cardiff and London, and whether that shortage is the responsibility of the train operator or the rolling stock provider.

Lord Davies of Gower: The vast majority of GWR services between London and Cardiff are operated by its Hitachi Intercity Express Train (IET) fleet. Under the terms of its National Rail Contract, GWR must use its rolling stock to deliver a consistent, efficient service. GWR review loading and capacity data to try and ensure appropriate formations and fleets for passengers. In recent times, however, GWR have experienced challenges with both their IET fleet availability and the reliability of network infrastructure which means they are not always able to operate the optimum formations and fleets for passengers. A number of IETs have been out of operation due to significant damage including long-term crack repairs, engine issues and water ingress. The Department is engaged with GWR and Network Rail to seek improvements to the situation and secure a level of service which taxpayers expect and deserve.

High Speed 2 Line

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they will provide to compensate local authorities for their expenditure in preparation for the HS2 rail link.

Lord Davies of Gower: HS2 Ltd has in place a series of Service Level Agreements with line of route local authorities which provide for those authorities to be reimbursed for the reasonable costs they incur in helping to deliver the new railway. This includes reimbursement for the role local authorities play in the consenting process, and in various other areas. In the meantime, Network North has enabled the reinvestment of £36 billion in hundreds of transport projects across the country, and we will keep working with local authorities and stakeholders to deliver improvements in local communities.

East West Rail Line: Construction

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government by which legal processtheyexpect consent for the East West Rail route section between Bedford and Cambridge to be obtained, and what is the current timescale for obtaining that consent and starting construction.

Lord Davies of Gower: East West Rail Company is expected to make an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to obtain planning consent for the preferred East West Rail route alignment. The DCO application will follow public consultation in 2024. Timing for construction commencing is subject to the DCO application being successful.

East West Rail Line: Electrification

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what investigations they have undertaken into the potential use of discontinuous electrification on East West Rail.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department for Transport and East West Rail Company are reviewing options for traction for East West Rail (EWR) including discontinuous electrification. This work is in progress and as set out at the Route Update Announcement for EWR in May 2023, further details will be provided at statutory consultation stage next year.

Railways: Strikes

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to minimise disruption from train driver strikes over the festive period.

Lord Davies of Gower: There are currently no planned train driver strikes over the festive period. However, the ASLEF union has mandates for industrial action ending between February and April for all 14 train operating companies. Parliament has approved regulations to implement minimum service levels for passenger rail, designed to reduce disproportionate disruption caused by rail strikes. The regulations came into force on 8 December 2023. Whilst it is the Government’s hope that these regulations need not be used, and strike action can be avoided, they provide employers with an additional tool to support passengers by enabling a minimum level of service to be delivered during any strike action affecting services specified in the regulations.

High Speed 2 Line: Construction

Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 6 December (HL701), whether they will now answer the question put; namely,how much money has been spent to date on the Crewe leg (Phase 2a) of HS2.

Lord Davies of Gower: As noted in the Parliamentary Report published in November 2023, to date £1bn (2019 prices) has been spent on the Phase 2a leg of HS2.

High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment ofthe comments of the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission in the Financial Times on 26 November, in which he casts doubt on the Government’s plan for connecting the HS2 rail line to Euston throughprivate financing.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Network North paper published by the Department for Transport on 4 October 2023 sets out that private finance will be leveraged to ensure contributions to the cost of Euston from those people and businesses it supports. The opportunity for regeneration and new homes in the Euston area is one of the largest in central London. This development-led approach will bring in private finance, along with a reduction of the transport scope to deliver only what is required at Euston. This will reduce the costs to the taxpayer. We are also taking on the lessons of success stories such as Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, which secured £9 billion of private sector investment. The exact design of the model to be used, how it is taken to market, as well as how and where the alternative funding generated by this will be spent, is commercially sensitive and still subject to further work to ensure we are optimising funding and delivery. Ministers and officials have held positive initial conversations with potential funders. There will be a range of options within this that are still being considered and will require more time to develop before a final proposal is determined.

Motor Vehicle Type Approval: Public Consultation

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to report on theGB type approval for road vehicles consultation, which closed on 10 November.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department is currently analysing the 33 responses to the consultation. We expect to publish a summary and next steps in the early part of 2024.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Telegraph Media Group

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, followingthe decision of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 30 November to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice regarding the proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), what steps are being taken to assess the views of individual employees of TMG and the Spectator Magazine as to the proposed purchase of the publications by Redbird IMI.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Public Interest Intervention Notice only applies to the anticipated acquisition of Telegraph Media Group. The Notice triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority to report to the Secretary of State on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report to her on the specified media public interest considerations. These are the need for accurate presentation of news, and free expression of opinion, in newspapers.The legislation provides that Ofcom will carry out such investigations as it considers appropriate. Exactly how Ofcom undertakes its role to report to the Secretary of State on the public interest is a matter for Ofcom.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Minimum Wage

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey have any plans to increase the national minimum wage for apprentices from the current £5.28 per hour.

Baroness Barran: From April 2024, the department is increasing the apprentice minimum wage by 21.2% to £6.40, from £5.28 per hour. This is a cash increase of £1.12 and will benefit an estimated 40,000 apprentices, including young apprentices under 19 and those in their first year of an apprenticeship.

Apprentices: Equipment

Earl Russell: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey have made any assessment of whether potential apprentices can afford the cost of the tools they require for their apprenticeships; and whether they have any plans to provide loans or financial support for the purchase of equipment necessary for apprenticeships.

Baroness Barran: Apprenticeships are jobs and the department expects employers to provide apprentices with the support, tools and resources they need for a high-quality experience.The department provides additional financial support to employers and providers to encourage more apprenticeship opportunities and to help meet additional costs associated with apprenticeships. The department makes payments of £1,000 to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and up to 24 for apprentices with an Education, Health and Care plan, which can be used to support costs such as work equipment, uniforms, or travel. Furthermore, the department has increased the care leavers’ bursary from £1,000 to £3,000, helping even more young people to access and complete apprenticeships.The department wants to make sure that apprentice pay supports talented individuals to start and stay in apprenticeships. From April 2024, the apprentice minimum wage will increase by 21.2% to £6.40, from £5.28 per hour. This is a cash increase of £1.12 and will benefit an estimated 40,000 apprentices. This boost to the hourly wage will benefit young apprentices under 19, and those in their first year of an apprenticeship. Many employers pay their apprentices more than the minimum. Latest data shows that the median gross hourly pay for apprentices in 2021 was £9.98 an hour.

Training: Costs

Baroness Blower: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average training cost of a traineeship.

Baroness Barran: In the 2022/23 financial year, the average cost of a traineeship was £2,700. This includes the costs of training and outcome payments, but excludes the cost of the £1,000 incentive payments, introduced in response to COVID-19. As of August 2023, the government has integrated the traineeship programme into the 16-19 study programme and adult education provision.

Apprentices: Taxation

Baroness Blower: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what percentage, oflevy paying employers have spent all funds in their apprenticeship levy account, for each of the past five financial years.

Baroness Barran: UK employers with an annual pay bill above £3 million pay the apprenticeship levy, which is collected by HM Revenue & Customs. Employers in England who pay the apprenticeship levy can access funds for apprenticeship training and assessment by registering for an apprenticeship service account. The funds in employers’ accounts reflect the ‘English percentage’ of an employer’s levy contribution and include a 10% top-up from the government.While levy-paying employers in England can use all their levy funds the majority do not, which allows these funds from the apprenticeship budget to fund apprenticeship training for small and medium sized businesses, so all companies can benefit from training apprentices.The table below shows the number of levy-paying employers that have spent all the funds declared in their apprenticeship service accounts, including the 10% top-up from the government, in each financial year from 2018/19 to 2022/23.Number of employers who spent all levy fundsPercentage of total employers who spent all levy funds2018/191,62010%2019/202,53015%2020/212,52015%2021/222,62014%2022/232,54013% The funds in levy-paying employers’ apprenticeship service accounts do not represent the total spend on apprenticeships for levy paying employers and are not the same as the total annual apprenticeships budget. The ring-fenced apprenticeships budget for England is set by HM Treasury and, although closely linked, is distinct from the total levy income collected. In the last two financial years, on average 98% of the English apprenticeships budget was spent.

Institutes of Technology

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Institutes of Technology have been created, what courses they provide, and how many pupils currently study at the Institutes.

Baroness Barran: The government is investing up to £300 million to establish a comprehensive network of 21 Institutes of Technology across England.They bring together our world class higher and further education sectors, with local businesses – to develop a pipeline of local talent to address local skills needs. Our IoTs work hand in glove with our Local Skills Improvement Plans. They specialise in delivering high-quality training and education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based subjects, helping to bridge a vital skills gap in our economy in sectors such as engineering and manufacturing, digital, and construction. Subjects and qualifications offered differ across the network as training is tailored and responsive to the needs of business in the areas they serve. Whilst offering a range of qualifications from Level 3 (T-levels) to Level 7 (master’s degrees), they specialise in higher-level technical skills at Level 4/5, including degree apprenticeships, Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) and professional training.The latest data the department has on the number of students studying at Institutes of Technology comes from the cohort as of the end of the 2022/23 academic year, which was 14,231. This number of students was across 15 Institutes of Technology that were open to learners at that time.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Weather

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how they are supporting the NHS to build additional capacity over winter, in light of pressures including high numbers of patients being admitted with winter viruses.

Lord Markham: A range of measures are in place to support National Health Service capacity over winter. NHS winter planning started earlier this year than in previous years. Our Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services set the ambition in to increase the core general and acute (G&A) bed base by 5,000 permanent beds above originally planned 2022/23 levels. A copy of the plan is attached.The latest published core G&A beds figures show over 3,700 additional core beds are now in place. The peak of total G&A bed numbers, encompassing both core and escalation beds, will depend on demand pressures, including from respiratory illnesses such as flu. This is alongside £200 million of additional funding to ambulance services this year to grow capacity and improve response times.In July 2023, NHS England wrote to integrated care boards, trusts and primary care networks to set out a national approach to 2023/24 winter planning and the key steps to be taken across all parts of the system to meet the challenges expected from winter pressures.Delivery plan (pdf, 636.3KB)

Family Hubs: Finance

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 75 local authorities eligible for the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme received part of the £100 million for parent-infant relationships and perinatal mental health support, and how this funding was broken down across those family hubs.

Lord Markham: Of the £100 million, £92.8 million is being distributed to the 75 local authorities participating in the programme from 2022/23 to 2024/25. Local authorities determine the specific interventions they spend their funding allocation on, in line with the programme guide and local area need. Local authorities are responsible for allocating funding to their family hubs. The remaining funding has been held centrally to deliver a series of national initiatives which will support local delivery.A copy of the published funding methodology for the programme is attached; this sets out how each local authority received their funding allocation.Programme methodology (pdf, 125.7KB)

Environmental Health and Trading Standards

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of (1) trading standards, (2) environmental health, and (3) food safety personnel in local authorities, and what plans they have to ensure sufficient numbers.

Lord Markham: Data for local authority food inspectors on 31 March 2023 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be found in the attached document. Local authorities report their resources by food hygiene and food standards as there are two separate returns.Local authorities are responsible for enforcing compliance with food safety and standards legislation for most food businesses. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has statutory duties to monitor and report on their performance in doing so. It does this by collecting data from local authorities. The most recent data from October 2023 survey found:- Full Time Equivalent (FTE) allocated by local authorities to deliver food hygiene work is 1,616 with 1,464 occupied; and- The allocated FTE for food standards is 432 with 384 occupied. The FSA recently commissioned research to understand the challenges and opportunities to recruit and retain Local Authority Officers to deliver Official Food and Feed Controls. A copy of Local Authority Capacity and Capability: Executive Summary is attached.The overall findings of the research are complex, and the FSA has started to address the areas they have direct influence over, for example by reviewing the qualifications and competence requirements for local authority food officers.The FSA has started to collaborate with other government departments and relevant professional bodies to discuss the findings and work together to shape and influence potential solutions.At the FSA board meeting on 13 December 2023, the board considered a paper on local authority performance where one of the recommendations is to write to Local Authority Chief Executives and section.151 Finance Officers to set out their concerns about resourcing and delivery, and to remind them of the statutory nature of official food controls when considering and setting the budget allocation for the next financial year. A copy of the paper is attached.Local authority performance review (pdf, 313.5KB)Capacity report (pdf, 3695.7KB)

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence: EU Countries

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provisional EU plan on the use of artificial intelligence; and how, if at all, this will affect the UK's development of regulations.

Viscount Camrose: Many issues relating to AI regulation are global in nature, and will require global solutions to address. This is why we are keen to work with international partners, including the EU, on key issues and find ways to support our national and international AI ecosystems and support businesses operating across jurisdictions. We are also taking an active role in multilateral initiatives addressing AI issues, such as the Global Partnership on AI with GPAI, OECD, G7 Hiroshima AI Process, and the Council of Europe, among others. We will also seek further opportunities for open dialogues to share ideas and best practices in this space. Last March, the government published the AI Regulation White Paper. This context-based approach has considered the UK’s own unique regulatory, business and societal landscape. Rather than setting a centralised list like the EU, our approach proposes allowing different regulators to take a more tailored and agile approach to the use of AI in a range of settings, reflecting the growing use of AI in a range of sectors for a number of different applications. The proposed framework of cross-sectoral principles will ensure coherence across the regulatory system. We want to establish a nimble and internationally competitive regulatory approach which drives innovation and growth. This is key to supporting our ambitions to strengthen our position as an AI superpower. The government will be setting out our next steps for the regulatory framework through our white paper consultation response, which is being published in the new year. In the meantime, we are taking steps to implement our regulatory approach, including the establishment of a central AI risk function, bringing together policymakers and AI experts to identify, assess and report on risks of AI systems. We have also set up the AI Safety Institute, which is aiming to ensure that the UK and the world are not caught off guard by progress at the frontier of AI. We are also engaging closely with regulators across the UK and their sponsoring government departments to understand the organisational capacity they need to regulate AI effectively, across technical, regulatory, and market-specific expertise. This includes the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum AI and Digital Hub announced in September, which will offer advice to AI innovators to make it easier for innovators to navigate the AI regulation landscape so they can bring their products more quickly and safely to market. Alongside this, the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) continues to lead the Government’s work to enable responsible trustworthy innovation using data and AI that safeguards our fundamental values and puts protecting the public first. For example, the CDEI is working closely with the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Information Commissioner’s Office to support solutions to tackle AI fairness through the delivery of the Fairness Innovation Challenge.

Northern Ireland Office

Official Visits: Northern Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the total costs incurred by the Police Service of Northern Ireland covering the visit of President Biden and other dignitaries to Northern Ireland during the commemoration of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement they have refunded.

Lord Caine: In line with the HMT Statement of Funding Policy, the UK Government has agreed to meet costs totalling £2.752 million towards the policing operation for President Biden's visit and other dignitaries to Northern Ireland during events to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The budget will be transferred to the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland to transfer to the Police Service of Northern Ireland at Supplementary Estimates 2023/24.

Treasury

Capital Gains Tax

Lord Colgrain: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the length of time it takes for His Majesty's Revenue and Customs to calculate capital gains tax returns.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The vast majority of Capital Gains returns are filed online, through entries in a Self-Assessment Tax return or our online service for sale of a property which is not the main residence. Taxpayers using online services are presented with their tax calculation immediately, unless there are any exceptions requiring a manual check. For the small numbers of 2022-23 tax returns requiring manual checks, HMRC will complete these by 31 January. For customers who file their self-assessment return on paper, HMRC aim to process 99% of returns received by the 31 October submission deadline by 31 December. They expect to meet that target this year.

Churches: Rural Areas

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a zero rate of VAT forrepairs of rural churches.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Whilst there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport already administer the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This aims to redress financial shortfalls by providing grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship. With annual funding increased to £42 million per annum, the scheme handles around 7,000 claims per annum and has made grants totalling over £300 million to date. Going further by zero rating all repairs of rural churches would impose significant additional pressure on the public finances to which VAT makes a significant contribution. There are no plans to introduce a new VAT relief for the repair of rural churches. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Revenue and Customs: Prosecutions

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 November (HL210), how many successful prosecutions there were as a result of HMRC investigations into the activities of the activities of businesses which advertise their services on a cash only basis in the financial year ended 2022–23.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As referenced in the answer I gave on 22 November 2023 to PQ HL210  the Government is committed to creating a level playing field for all sectors by ensuring that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time. Like all other businesses, those which exclusively accept cash must meet their tax obligations. HMRC use a range of interventions, including civil and criminal investigations, to tackle non-compliance. HMRC reserves complete discretion to conduct a criminal investigation in any case and to carry out these investigations across a range of offences and in all the areas for which the Commissioners of HMRC have responsibility. In 2022/23, 240 prosecutions were brought by the relevant prosecuting authority as a result of HMRC criminal investigations, securing 218 convictions for a range of offences. The specific data requested – detailing prosecution numbers for businesses which advertise their services on a cash-only basis – is not available as HMRC systems do not segment data in a way that would allow the required analysis, and therefore this information would only be available at disproportionate cost. Further information on HMRC’s approach to tackling fraud, including other performance information, can be found at HMRC performance update: April to June 2023 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

European Union: Payments

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 12 December (HL880), whether they will now answer the question put; namely,how much money the UK pays to the EU annually; for what purpose; and for how long such payments are expected to continue.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The financial settlement under the European Union Withdrawal Agreement Act 2020 (WA) represents the negotiated agreement over the UK’s historical financial commitments to the EU and those of the European Union (EU) to the UK. This financial arrangement is related to the UK’s past obligations as a departing Member State and does not relate to any continuing arrangements. Details of how much money the UK has paid the EU, its purposes, forecasts of future payments and timings are set out in the annual European Union Finances Statement. The most recent version covers payments made in 2022 and is available in the library of the House and on Gov.uk. Additionally, departments make payments in areas of continuing cooperation with the EU. These include the Peace+ programme and, from 2024, the Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes. Details of payments are set out in the relevant departments’ annual accounts.

Treasury: Contracts

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of individual departmental budgets is spent on logistics, whetherbydedicated contract or as part of a broader contract.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Records of spending at this level of granularity are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to mitigate the financial pressure faced by mortgage holders due to inflation rising interest payments.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, we recognise this is a concerning time for mortgage borrowers. The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation. The independent Monetary Policy Committee continues to have the Government’s full support as it takes action to return inflation to target. At a meeting with the Chancellor in June, lenders agreed to a new Mortgage Charter to support borrowers struggling with their mortgage payments. The Charter sets out the standards signatory lenders will adopt when helping their customers, including new flexibilities to help customers manage their mortgage payments over a short period. The Charter is in addition to the significant safeguards already in place for consumers in the mortgage market. Financial Conduct Authority rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments in order to provide tailored support. The Government has also taken measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans, protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, and the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS). More broadly, the Government has taken decisive action to support households across the UK through the cost-of-living challenges, whilst remaining fiscally responsible. Overall, the Government is providing support worth over £104 billion over 2022-2025 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living – an average of over £3,700 per UK household.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy Charter Treaty

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Lord Callanan: On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it would be reviewing its membership of the ECT if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this process.

Energy Charter Treaty

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to remain a member of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Lord Callanan: On 1 September 2023, the UK announced it would be reviewing its membership of the ECT if the modernised Treaty was not adopted by November 2023. The Government is considering the views of stakeholders in business, civil society, and Parliament as part of this process.

Climate Change Convention

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any UK minister was in Dubai at COP28 on 12 December during negotiations to include the transitioning away from all fossil fuels in the UAE Consensus; and if no minister was present at that time, what assessment they have made of the impact this will have on British diplomacy and global influence.

Lord Callanan: On 12 December Minister Stuart returned to the UK to attend Parliament in his role as an MP. There continued to be full UK representation at the summit throughout, with my noble Friend Lord Benyon representing the UK at Ministerial level alongside UK officials. Minister Stuart continued to be the lead UK Minister for negotiations and remained in constant contact with the UK Lead Climate Negotiator and my noble Friend Lord Benyon, with any final decisions agreed with him. Minister Stuart returned on 13 December for the final day of negotiations and attended the closing plenary.

Electricity Generation: Renewable Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure thatthe Eastern Green Link 1 project has maximum economic benefits, including job creation as mentioned in the National Grid's reportBuilding the Net Zero Energy Workforce, published in January 2020.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to maximising economic benefits, including job creation, from all electricity network projects. To address emerging and future workforce demands across the economy, we will publish a Green Jobs Plan in the first half of 2024, which will include a focus on electricity networks.